I've tried to shop less, I've planned meals under a fiver that Jamie Oliver would be proud of and I've become an expert at tracking down three for twos.

Like any mum managing the pursestrings I've had to cut my cloth accordingly.

Which is exactly why I don't need Gordon Brown telling me how to keep my fridge in order.

The PM has been busy reminding us how much food we waste and encouraging us to think before we shop.

As if we're doing anything but. Somehow I doubt whether he's best placed to advise us. Frankly, I can't picture him slack jawed in the supermarket aisle deliberating over whether the buy own brand beans or go for broke with Heinz.

What do you think? Post your comments below.

Last week was Food Waste Awareness Week so you can't argue the PM's comments weren't well timed.

Apparently there are many ways to avoid wasting food and to mark the week a whole range of celebrities served up their top tips.

Ample girthed celebrity chef Anthony Worrall Thompson warned about portion control.

"Make sure you don't make mountains of food - make just enough so that you don't waste it," he chirped.

Next up was This Morning presenter Ruth Langsford.

"I always check the fridge before I go shopping which stops me buying things I already have."

Doesn't everyone do this to some extent? Surely that's why we go shopping - to buy the things we know we've run out of.

Occasionally I still throw food away but largely our shopping and eating habits have changed because they've had to.

It's simply crazy to waste food when it now costs so much in the first place.

The difficulty comes in trying to get value for money. Bulk buying is cheaper but bulk leads to waste.

The BOGOF culture has come in for stick but for larger families the offers are great. Multiple offers and supersized packs aren't the answer for everyone though and perhaps supermarkets should pay more attention to size and quantity.

'Apparently there are many ways to avoid wasting food'

Couples, single people and those with small families shouldn't be forced into buying more than they need simply to qualify for an offer.

It's true we cook up enough food at mealtimes to lay an extra place at the table in every one of the nation's homes.

In short we're wasting enough food to feed the British Army 51 times over but do we really need the PM or the government to labour the point?

Sadly there's nothing in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management to tell hard-pressed mums how to contend with inflation, BOGOF offers or Prime Ministers who tell us how to suck eggs. If only Mrs B had the answer.

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